


Stars

by dreamcp



Series: KlanceWeek2k16 [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Team Bonding, the whole gang's here lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 20:18:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7728397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamcp/pseuds/dreamcp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith grows up with a strong passion for the sky. It leads him to a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Last day! Prompt was flowers/stars. Hope you've enjoyed the series if you've kept up with it, and thanks for reading!

Keith has turned his gaze to the sky all his life. As a child he watches the spectrum of color as morning turns to day, day turns to evening, evening turns to night, night turns to morning. The cycle repeats day after day, and Keith is entranced.

As he matures, though, the colors just aren't enough. He begins to wonder about the world, about the sky, and he's determined to find answers. He wants to know about the stars, the planets, the meteors, anything and everything. He stares into the twinkling sky and decides that he'll end up there, someday.

Keith never loses sight of that goal. He studies the universe meticulously. There's never enough information to truly satisfy him; Keith decides he'll have to find it out for himself once he’s up there. He gets into the garrison, he meets Shiro, he studies, he trains. Nothing can slow him down.

Or so he thinks. Suddenly his closest— and only— friend is missing, presumed dead, up in space. And they blame _Shiro_ for it. Keith can't believe it, refuses to believe it. He stands up, calls the garrison’s bluff, refuses to back down. The garrison kicks him out; Keith says good riddance.

He's drawn to the desert in the same way he was drawn to the skies. He finds caves with mysterious markings, he finds clues that warn him of something coming. He finds Shiro.

All of a sudden he's got an old friend and three new ones, and that number only increases once they find themselves flung far into space by a wormhole. Keith's grown used to solitude, and the flurry of activity around him constantly is disconcerting. But he finds genuine friends in these people. He learns to trust them with his life, and he learns to protect theirs in return.

The pull towards the sky is stronger now than ever. Only now, he can actually reach it. Flying in the red lion gives him a rush like none he's ever felt before. He's finally achieved his dream of exploring the cosmos, only there's an invading alien threat to deal with on the side. Keith will take what he can get.

While he absorbs all the information he can about the universe, he also absorbs information about his teammates. It's unintentional, and Keith hardly even notices it happening. But it's barely been a few months before he stops and realizes just how closely he's grown attached.

Allura is a paragon of leadership, even more than Shiro. She's kind but determined, fair but firm, and Keith thinks it's a shame that she's still only considered a princess. She would make an incredible queen and leader of her people. Allura asks after him, reminding him to not overwork himself and giving him tips in his training. She's easy to confide in, though Keith doesn't often go to her with secrets. Half the time it seems like she already knows about the problem, and Keith wonders about possible Altean mind-reading powers.

Coran is a little scatterbrained, but genuinely funny and always dependable. He's always got something to add, whether helpful or just amusing. Keith has found himself smiling at his antics more than once. To Keith, Coran feels sort of like a weird family friend; he acts a bit eccentric, but he can give support and even dish out really good advice when it's least expected.

Shiro has had Keith's back for longer than anyone else, and their level of trust reflects that. All the way back to their first meeting in the garrison, Shiro has been encouraging and patient, and even acts as some of Keith's impulse control; it's no surprise to Keith that it was less than a month before he was kicked out after Shiro’s “death.” Shiro is the first person to go to when Keith has a more pressing issue: he listens attentively, examines it from numerous angles, and arrives at a conclusion that solves it effectively, even teaching Keith something in the process. 

Hunk is someone Keith originally hadn't expected much from. That changes immediately after he builds a tracker for an _element not even found on Earth,_ and the respect Keith has for him skyrockets. Hunk is incredibly smart, and even more kind. He's yet another good choice to bring a problem to, though Hunk’s brand of advice is more centered around raising spirits and causing helpful distractions than actually solving the problem. Keith finds a surprising source of relaxation in baking with Hunk, even if his own misshapen food creations are nothing next to Hunk’s masterpieces. Hunk is also really great to joke around with. They've shared many laughs in the kitchen, and on one memorable occasion Keith laughed so hard he actually cried.

Pidge impresses Keith right away with their technical prowess and talent for snark and calm head (relative to the other paladins their age, anyways). Even as the youngest member of the team, Pidge is clearly brilliant. Reprogramming an enemy robot, hacking into enemy databases, routinely modifying and improving the castle’s systems? That’s not easy stuff. As for dealing with the trials and tribulations of space life, Pidge is more the type to throw on a three-hour movie to let the issue recede to the back of the mind. It's more effective than it seems, and Keith has also become more invested in the Marvel movies than he's really willing to admit.

Lance is initially the one Keith likes the least. He claims to be Keith’s “rival” and drags him into stupid arguments that only serve to wear Keith out. He tells the worst jokes Keith has ever head, half of which he doesn't even get. It's beyond annoying. At least, until he realizes Lance is doing his best to ease their problems, just like everyone else. He tells bad jokes to distract everyone from their stresses and enjoy a moment of peace. Even later, Keith realizes the bickering is much the same: it allows him to release pent-up emotions and blow off steam without getting anyone else involved. Lance is silently helping, and Keith is silently grateful.

Keith, however, can't offer much to the team. He's got the combat skills, no doubt, but that's not all they need, that's not all they are. They're a family, Keith realizes. That's why they help each other, why they listen to complaints and try to find solutions. But Keith is awkward at best, and living alone for a year with almost zero human contact has only made his social skills worse. He can't offer advice or adequate distractions.

And it becomes painfully clear how useless he is every time he watches Pidge go quiet at the thought of their missing family, or every time Shiro freezes up at a new, haunting recollection of his imprisonment. Every time Allura and Coran mourn the loss of their planet, their people, their father and closest colleague. Every time Hunk frets about their inevitable demise in battle. Every time Lance sits in the control room with the hologram of Earth in front of him, tears welling in his eyes.

That's the one Keith understands the least. He's always felt the urge to leave his home planet, not return to it. He doesn't have blood relatives, or traumatic memories, or an allegiance to a long-dead race, or even a strong fear of death. But he understands them all, sympathizes with them all. Keith does, however, come from Earth, and he just doesn't see the appeal. His place was always among the stars, in his mind, and seeing someone long after the place he worked desperately to leave behind baffles him.

Lance tries to explain it once, after Keith abruptly broaches the subject. It's not the best time to have brought it up, since Lance still has red eyes from crying and Keith usually tries his damnedest to hide his presence from him. They're finally getting along, mostly, and Keith wants to avoid confrontation where he can. But Keith goes and opens his mouth without thinking. After getting over the initial surprise and shame (Keith longs to tell him there’s no shame at all in crying), Lance takes a shaky breath.

“It's like… I see a planet where there's a beautiful beach with clear water and warm sand, and I think of home. I see an alien who's reunited with their family, and I think of home. I see the stars out the window here, the constellations, and I think of home. But it's not. Not my beach, not my family, and not my constellations. There's all this, this _stuff_ reminding me of Earth, but I'm too far away to actually go there. I'm too far to go back home, and it's killing me.”

Keith processes this silently. Homesickness, then. He knew that was Lance’s problem already. But somehow Lance’s explanation brings it home for him. He can't say he's ever cared for the beach or the constellations, but it's that sense of familiarity, of normalcy, that life on Earth brings. Keith can still recall the biting desert winds that flung sand in his face, the blistering hot days and bitterly cold nights, the dead silence broken only by the occasional garrison vehicle passing in the distance. It's not like Keith misses the quiet life— too boring, he's always itching for something to do— but he understands. He understands.

It's that knowledge dawning on him that finally lets him extend comfort to Lance in the only way he can think of. “Tell me about the constellations.”

“I don't know these ones…”

“I don't care. Tell me about the ones back on Earth.”

Lance cracks a smile through his tears, and Keith knows he's finally made it. He sits next to Lance as the blue paladin excitedly describes bears and archers and spoons and a whole host of other things Keith has never felt the need to learn in all his studies. Lance breathes life into the sky, lets the stars jump and dance through the myths he spins around them.

Somehow Keith's leg becomes pressed against Lance’s leg. His side becomes pressed against Lance’s side. Lance’s eyes only shine brighter. Keith thinks that if anything could outshine the sun, it'd be them.


End file.
